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An ancient African genome has been sequenced for the first time.
Researchers extracted DNA from a 4,500-year-old skull that was discovered in the highlands of Ethiopia.

A comparison with genetic material from today’s Africans reveals how our ancient ancestors mixed and moved around the continents.
The findings, published in the journal Science, suggests that about 3,000 years ago there was a huge wave of migration from Eurasia into Africa.

This has left a genetic legacy, and the scientists believe up to 25% of the DNA of modern Africans can be traced back to this event.

“Every single population for which we have data in Africa has a sizeable component of Eurasian ancestry,” said Dr Andrea Manica, from the University of Cambridge, who carried out the research.

Ancient genomes have been sequenced from around the world, but Africa has proved difficult because hot and humid conditions can destroy fragile DNA.

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The Mycoboard is a material produced by the American company Ecovative Design.

They develop sustainable alternatives to materials that are known to have a negative impact on the environment, mainly through the use of mycelium, a.k.a. the root system of mushrooms, as a binder.

One of those products is the Mycoboard, a sustainable alternative to wood products like plywood. By using agricultural waste from local farms, they mix the waste with mycelium, and then lets it grow in a mold, where the mycelium grows and fills all hollow areas. To stop it from growing when you’ve reached the requested shape and density, they dry the whole thing to stop the process. No glue is needed in any step of the process. Even veneers can be applied to the Mycoboard by simply letting it grow in place.

At the end of the product’s life, you can compost it with good consciousness.

Blue, purple, black, various colors and shapes, fungi’s world is more attractive than flowers for some people but the only problem is they are too humble to be in the spotlight. But thanks to the people like Steve Axford (previously) who use their cameras to bring the magical world of fungi in front of our eyes. Axford lives and works in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales in Australia where he often has to travel no further than his own “back yard” to make some of the discoveries you see here. And Axford believe that some of the mushrooms he finds may never have been documented by scientists before!